Delbert Junior Roush Sr.
Lieutenant

Delbert Junior Roush Sr.

Charleston Police Department — Charleston, WV
Veteran → Felonious
End of Watch June 26, 1981
Age 61
Tour of Duty 33 yrs
The Vigil Panel 124 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Lieutenant Roush and Patrolman Eddie Duncan were shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop on U.S. 60, near I-64, at approximately 3:00 am. Lieutenant Roush was on his lunch break and had gone to backup Patrolman Duncan when the shooting occurred. The suspect was apprehended, convicted of murder, and received two life sentences. Lieutenant Roush had served with the Charleston Police Department for 33 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, daughter, and three sons.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-WV-0394DB60
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

33 years. You could have gone home.
Lieutenant Roush gave the Charleston Police Department 33 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Charleston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Roush.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Other
Location Charleston, Kanawha County, WV
Platform Identity charpd.kanawha.wv.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 26, 1981
Tour of Duty 33 yrs
Age 61
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Military Service

Delbert Junior Roush Sr. served in the U.S. Army (1945–1946) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Lieutenant Delbert Junior Roush Sr. is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In WV, 169 of 232 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 72.8% of this state's fallen. That is 72.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Charleston Police Department, 6 of 9 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Charleston Police Department
6
of 9 officers
66.7% Felonious
WV — Statewide
169
of 232 officers
72.8% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Delbert Junior Roush Sr.'s cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Delbert Junior Roush Sr. Compares

Age at Death
61
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
33
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Delbert Junior Roush Sr. is highlighted in Jun.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Delbert Junior Roush Sr. was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location

Military Service

Delbert Junior Roush Sr. served in the U.S. Army (1945–1946) before joining law enforcement.

Visit Delbert Junior Roush Sr.’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.